They are trained to the highest level to rush into burning buildings and save lives.
But yesterday, a crew of north firefighters used their skills to free a toddler from his own bed.
Travis McGhee somehow managed to get his foot trapped in the plastic side panel of his bed.
Travis’s mum thanked the emergency services who used a hacksaw to carefully cut the two-year-old free early yesterday morning.
The two-year-old was left “grumpy and tired” by the ordeal but was otherwise unhurt.
A senior firefighter described the incident as “one of the more unusual” emergencies they have had to respond to.
Mum Kaye, 21, and partner Tomas, 22, called the emergency services to their home in King Brude Gardens in Inverness after their own efforts to free their son were unsuccessful.
The couple were woken up at about 6.30am by Travis complaining that he was stuck.
He had somehow managed to wedge his foot between in a small gap in the plastic frame of his bed but was unable to free himself.
Ms McGhee said: “I had no idea what to do, I panicked a bit.
“Every time I touched his foot he said it was sore. His ankle seemed to have swollen up a bit after he got it through so he couldn’t move his foot back.”
After being unable to free Travis’s foot after applying some oil, the couple then decided to call the emergency services for help just after 7.15am.
The fire service sent one crew from Inverness to the scene and they used hacksaws to cut a small section of the plastic bed away to free Travis’s foot.
Mrs McGhee said: “I would like to say thank you for everything they (the firefighters) did.
“It just shows that they are there to help with the smallest thing, they really were brilliant.”
Inverness station manager Deryck Mackay said: “Firefighters are needed at all sorts of emergencies but this is probably one of the more unusual incidents the crew has been called to.
“Small kids can be experts at getting themselves into difficulty so I’m sure most of us will sympathise.
“It could certainly have been a distressing experience for the family but we’re here to protect the public whatever the emergency and they did the right thing in calling for help.
“The firefighters used a hacksaw to safely release the boy and the important thing is he’s safe and well.”
